Part I. Introduction: 1. The place of the countryside -- 2. Institutions, property and governance -- 3. Institutions in the countryside -- Part II. Historical Models: 4. Co-operation for production: common fields and enclosure -- 5. Delivering diversity: the great estates and the management of the land -- Part III. Governance under Sectoral Policies: 6. Agricultural policies, farming and the environment -- 7. Land, development and planning -- 8. Protected areas: the example of National Parks -- 9. Wildlife conservation: National Nature Reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and large-scale conservation areas -- 10. Public rights of way and access to the countryside -- 11. The control of agricultural pollution -- 12. The development of agri-environment policy -- Part IV. Alternative Approaches to Governance: 13. Reconstituting markets -- 14. Co-ordination, co-operation and collective action -- 15. Public land ownership -- Part V. Conclusions: 16. Conclusions: ecosystem governance and resilient countrysides -- References -- Index

Examines the origins and evolution of the institutions that determine the use and management of land and the delivery of ecosystem services, through private property rights, markets and public policies. Divided into five accessible parts, the book provides detailed coverage of the institutions, property and governance of the countryside, historical models, governance under sectoral policies and alternative approaches. It is carefully developed to meet the needs of anyone studying or interested in agricultural sciences, countryside management, rural environment and geography.